My version of a midlife crisis, learning the guitar

[gh4chiefs]

Well I took a big step tonight, I got a guitar. I went to local music store I mentioned earlier and they sold me a new Fender acoustic along with the case, and I picked up an electronic tuner and a "beginner's" book (although in looking at it, it's not very detailed.)

Right now it's still in the case, I'm afraid to touch it. Need to do some more research and get comfortable with it. So for now at least, I'm committed to trying this thing. Don't know if I'll succeed or not, but I'm going to give it a shot.

 

[Cornholio]

congrats! don't be intimidated by it. go ahead and pick it up and strum the strings a few times.

 

[gh4chiefs]

I plan on getting started tonight. The "Beginners book" I mentioned actually came with a DVD and CD so I figure I'll pop in the DVD tonight and start my journey. I also down loaded a free app on my Iphone that shows chords, has a few videos on it, and a link to Gibson.com. So I'm both intimidated and excited at the same time.

 

[TheBrew]

Love that song.

The basics aren't too bad. You can play the simplified version with the basic D, A, E, G and F chords. The way it is actually played requires using barre chords with an open 'C' shape with your fingers, which I hadn't done before, so I am building up my finger strength in that position.

 

[ITL]

The way it is actually played requires using barre chords with an open 'C' shape with your fingers

Now that's a chord shape my fingers don't like! So I avoid if possible. Playing barres is painful for me because of an old wrist injury, and a C shape barre is worse than a standard one!